The thing that government refuses to realize is the more that they raise taxes the more they encourage “cheating” and discouraging business.

JD, this could be a great article topic and discussion point. Also perhaps an article on part time jobs people can do on the for extra cash.

@Fred Elkin: “People reading blogs like this — unless they are here to pat each other on the back for how their loads of free time enable their awesome thrift — need NOW solutions, not ten-years-ago solutions.”

Hmm…I don’t have loads of free time. My husband and I work full time, and yet we started this year with $30K in debt, and paid it all off, just by doing things we read about on these blogs. We made tough decisions. We sold a motorcycle, we went from 2 trucks to one, we tracked our expenses, made our lunches every day, sold off unused STUFF and were content with NetFlix and no cable and no HD. We made a lot of choices that enabled us to do this on rather average salaries.

Also, permanent financial security isn’t only feasible for the SAHHW with the well-paid husband and no kids–what if her husband dies, or leaves her?

We all are going to face obstacles, and that is why we plan ahead as much as we can, make sacrifices to increase our security, and read these blogs so that we might learn more.

If you have to have solutions that work this very second and are 100 percent guaranteed, then your need for immediate gratification is going to get in the way of improving your financial situation. It’s like someone looking for a magic weight-loss pill instead of eating right and waking up at 5 a.m. to workout day after day.

Still… get the health insurance. A friend with no insurance is facing $25-30K in medical bills due to appendicitis. She was young & healthy & thought she could manage without. She’s a traveling performer, so, she didn’t get any insurance through a job.

Let me correct my previous comment above: I almost got away with surprisingly complete optimism on this post … but I realize now a forum is just not a forum unless someone adds a piece of criticism.

Happy 2009, again!

A financial mistake? How about an ethical one? Or I am misunderstanding your story and you didn’t just confess to conspiring to break the tax laws?

My job is fairly stable and I am working on a good emergency savings.

I also see 2009 as the year I finally leave my parents’ house for good. 27 is better than 40 I guess.

Wishing you financial prosperity!

From my experience, this just isn’t true. I get e-mails from readers in all walks of life, with all sorts of backgrounds, telling me how they’ve been able to achieve financial success. I’ve read plenty of books about how even those with large families have been able to meet their goals. (For example: America’s Cheapest Family.)

Yes, financial success is difficult. It takes work. And it’s true that there are some people for whom life makes it more difficult. But I truly believe that most of us can achieve the things we want if we’re willing to make smart choices and sacrifice.

There are no major expenses planned for 2009 and if something big happens, I have an Emergency Fund to handle it.

You can read about my savings challenge here:
http://www.singleguymoney.com/2008/12/singleguymoney-savings-challenge.html

I am COMPLETELY TIRED of “solutions” to money problems that involve doing things ten years ago. People reading blogs like this — unless they are here to pat each other on the back for how their loads of free time enable their awesome thrift — need NOW solutions, not ten-years-ago solutions.

Problem is, there really ain’t any. As time goes on more and more, I realize that this whole notion of permanent financial security simply isn’t feasible for anyone besides the SAHHW with the well-paid husband and no kids.

I have been following this blog for months now and this is my first comment.

In a nutshell you are doing the world a great service with these posts. A lot of what you and your guests are writing about should be taught in school just before kids get to the age of blowing money on electronics gadgets and clothes.

Keep up the great posts!

Kim Kinrade

Also, may want to check out discounted health insurance in your state – here in New York you can get decent coverage for a decent price thanks to our state government. Also there is something here called the Freelancers Union that could help – don’t know if they work nationally.

I have a brand new car (just paid off) and only pay a bit more than $400 a year.